Wilson Morales of
BlackFilm.com got the opportunity to catch up with
Iron Man 2 actor Don Cheadle. With the superhero sequel's US release less than a week away, Cheadle talks candidly about his time on the set, wearing the heavy prop War Machine armor and the future of his character in the Marvel Cinematic Uuniverse:
Where did your love for comics begin? Don Cheadle: I didn't really get into comics until I got into college, really. I was into 'Swamp Thing,' which wasn't a great movie, and I was into 'The Dark Knight' which actually turned out to be pretty good, and 'Watchmen' and that kind of thing.
When you watched the first film what was it that propelled you to say, "I can do this!"? DC: When I saw the first film I wasn't thinking at all about being in it. That came much later. The first film was a departure from the standard fare those movies can be. You have a character that's pretty complicated, and that's a good way to start.
You mentioned in other places that you took this on blind faith. What went through your mind when you accepted the role? DC: I thought it would be excited to be part of a movie like this. I liked the first one. The movie was made well and can be attributed to the company and people behind it. I thought it would be a good experience.
You and Terrence (Howard) both starred in the Oscar winning film 'Crash' and now you're coming in as his replacement. Have you spoken to him since? DC: Yeah, we still communicated afterwards.
What style are you going bring to Jim Rhodes that is going to be different from the first one? DC: I don't know, I'm going leave that up to the audience to say what the difference is. I like to take the position of an actor taking on a role in a new story. I let the script tell me what to do and that's how we went about it.
How was it wearing the armor as War Machine? DC: Pretty heavy. I don't mean that spiritually. It's a big, heavy, metal piece of equipment that doesn't really move that well. You really need Industrial Light and Magic to come in and make the thing work.
Was this your first time working with CGI? DC: No, I've done a couple movies that had CGI involved, but this was the biggest, for sure.
When working with John Favreau, how did he want you to approach the character? DC: There were no marching orders of how to approach the character. It was about how you deal with your best friend... I'm in the military, he's a free agent. How do we as friends continue to maintain the friendship when we seem to be at cross-purposes with what we think we should be doing for our country.
When you're working on a film with a built-in audience and a cast that has already worked together, what was it like working with them and making sure the chemistry stayed the same? DC: It wasn't about keeping the chemistry the same, It was about letting it be whatever it was going to be and find our way into these characters naturally as opposed to trying to replicate something that came before. Giving us that breathing room was what it was all about.
How many films are you signed up for with this role? DC: There's several, multiple, but it all depends on how this one performs.
Is there a chance of seeing War Machine in 'The Avengers?' DC: I imagine. The Marvel Universe does lay the groundwork for a lot of these characters to show up in each others story. It's possible, yeah.
Have you had your own talks in regards to having a spin-off movie with this character? DC: It would be fine, if it's something that seems to work for the Marvel mythology and people wanted it, it would be cool to do. It would be great.
Do you see this franchise moving into the 3-D world like every other movie these days? DC: Isn't every movie going to be 3-D? I heard they're doing 'Kramer Vs. Kramer' in 3-D now. (laughs) I imagine there's going to be an opportunity for many movies to do that.
What are your thoughts on 3-D? Are you for it or against it? DC: I'm not for it or against it. I think it enhances experiences sometimes and gets in the way other times. 'Avatar' was a really successful use of it. When it's made to be integrated as a part of it, it comes off well. I don't know how good it is when it's used on stuff after filming.
Many thanks to Wilson Morales for taking the time to share this information with me!